Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri)

Christ Church Cathedral is the Episcopal cathedral for the Diocese of Missouri. It is located at 1210 Locust Street in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dean of the Cathedral is the Very Reverend Kathie Adams-Shepherd. Adams-Shepherd is also the first female dean of this cathedral. Built during 1859–67, it is one of the few well-preserved surviving works of Leopold Eidlitz, a leading mid-19th-century American architect, and was designated a national historic landmark in 1994 for its architecture.

Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral
Location1210 Locust Street
St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates38°37′49″N 90°11′55″W
Built1859
ArchitectLeopold Eidlitz; Legg, Jerome B.
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival, Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.90000345
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 7, 1990[1]
Designated NHLOctober 12, 1994[2]

History and description

The cathedral is located in what is now downtown St. Louis, at the southeast corner of Thirteenth and Locust Streets. The main body of the church was built of Illinois sandstone, and its roof is of purple and green slate. It is basically a cruciform structure, with a tower projecting from the northern facade at the northwest corner. The base of the tower houses a baptistry, with a font of Italian marble.[3]

A smaller sandstone chapel dates to 1893–95. From 1910–1912, a tower and porch were added of Indiana limestone.[3]

The cathedral was built between 1859 and 1867, and designed by architect Leopold Eidlitz. The Gothic Revival structure was an expression of the city's sense of its significance as the United States expanded westwards. It was one of the earliest churches influenced by the revival within the Episcopal Church of early Christian practices and styles, which later was influenced by the Oxford Movement originating in England. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.[2]

Montana silver magnate Charles D. McLure, a St. Louis native, was revealed to be the anonymous donor of $50,000 toward constructing the cathedral (approximately $6.5 million today).[4]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Christ Church Cathedral". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  3. Hamilton, Esley, Mrs.; Pitts, Carolyn (March 1989). "National Historic Landmark Nomination". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  4. An Ambassador of Christ: William Schuyler
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